Randall turns away Hereford 55-48

CANYON (Special) Randall reeled off the first nine points of the second half en route to a 55-48 victory against Hereford in a Class 4A bi-district meeting at the West Texas A&M Fieldhouse.

The Lady Raiders trailed 24-21 after one half, but outscored the Herd 17-6 in the third quarter.

Randall (20-10) advances to the area round and will face Clint (17-9) Friday in Odessa on Friday. Hereford finishes the season 24-8.

Keelie Sherrod started the third-quarter barrage when she made a steal to end Hereford's first possession of the period and hit a short jumper. Hereford turned the ball over on its first three possessions and Randall cashed each miscue into points. Annika Holmes hit a follow shot, followed by a Stephanie Gibson layup. Allyson Reed capped the drive with a 3-pointer to give Randall a 30-24 lead.

Randall put the game away by outscoring the Herd 12-2 to start the fourth period. Holmes keyed the run with four free throws and a short jumper as the Lady Raiders built a 50-32 lead with about three minutes remaining.

Hereford had problems with turnovers and fouls the entire game. The Herd committed 15 turnovers, many on mental lapses losing the ball with little or no defensive pressure. The Herd also committed 22 fouls and Randall took advantage by hitting 24-of-31 free throws.

Borden County (26-3), ranked No. 4 in Class 1A, will play the winner of today's Robert Lee-Blackwell game in the area round. Bekah Hensley, Julie Mayes and Lindsey Smith added 11 points apiece for the Lady Coyotes, whose press led to several transition baskets off Dawson turnovers.

Amy Goode led Dawson (15-14) with six points. Sara Miller was next with four.